A La Carte (2/17)

20 Qualities of Good Listeners [2]
Here’s a good roundup of qualities that make a person a good listener. For example, “Good listeners recall their own subjectivity and finitude as a listener. They make evaluations with the humility that corresponds to seeing parts, not the whole. They consider the angle and point of view from which they are listening.”

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The Age of Designer Babies [3]
Dr. Mohler says that the age of designer babies is upon us. “Until very recently, genetic technologies related to the screening of embryos were entirely negative. In other words, these tests screened for the genetic markers for certain diseases. Now, at least some fertility clinics promise to offer testing that will allow parents to choose positive, non-medical traits for their children.”

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Frank Schaeffer’s Letter to Obama [4]
Last week Frank Schaeffer wrote an open letter to President Obama. “As you showed us again at your press conference of Feb 9, you are a brilliant, articulate and decent man. Your Republican opponents are not decent people but ideologues bent on destroying you. To quote the biblical adage sir, don’t cast your pearls before swine. ”

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Historical Character Studies [5]
Colin has a round-up of some historical character studies that look well worth the download.

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How America Decreased Its Abortion Rate [6]
“Marvin Olasky shares some key findings from his book, Abortion Rites: A Social History of Abortion in America (Crossway) in the current issue of World magazine.”

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The Central Problem of Our Age [7]
Rick Pearcey quotes Francis Schaeffer on the central problem of our age. “The real problem is this: the church of the Lord Jesus Christ, individually or corporately, tending to do the Lord’s work in the power of the flesh rather than of the Spirit. The central problem is always in the midst of the people of God, not in the circumstances surrounding them.”

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